Quick note to the current South African contingent... send us a mail or a comment or something to let me know how you are. I'll text you tonight with my new Oz number. Oh aye, anyone else who wants that then just mail me with your nu,ber and I'll text it to you.

Alrighty righty peeps. How are you all? Well I hope. Not written on here for bloody ages as I am officially a slack bastard (well according to Andy anyway). For those of you intelligent people that have started using my yahoo address (due to the fact that hotmail is a bag of zan) congratulations. If at any point you start getting an overpowering sense of deja vu it's because you've already had the bulk of this message in group mail. Admit it, who's short term memory's worse than mine? So on with what I've benn doing:

I'm in a bit of a lull at the moment, just waiting for Katy to arrive in Sydney. She's somewhere north at the moment but I can't be bothered to move around much just now so I'll wait until after crimble I reckon.

I've been in Coogee for a bit before returning to Sydney. Pretty mental place. The beach was just across the road from the hostel too. Got the feeling the place was a bit of a trap too as some people had been staying there for three months plus (never a good sign). As a result of many long term residences it was actually pretty cliquey and although the bars there were good there was only really two of them. Haha, these folk had been to the same two places for three months! Very bizarre and despite the draw of the beach the place didn't entertain me for that long. Well, not entirely true but seeing as how I'm back over there for new year I didn't want to take a Coogee OD (if you know what I mean).
One thing I have discovered whilst at Coogee is that the sun is a proper viscious bastard over here. My shoulders are killing me despite factorage of 16 reapplied regularly and an abundance of EUV ('ey up vera... aloe vera). So I'm avoiding the sun at the moment. Been out and bought ridiculously high SPF factorage today (30!) which should keep my shoulders safe for the time being.

I'm staying in the YHA now in Sidders. It's pretty pricey and massive, but satisfactory as you can just hang about there quite happily. Andy's working this week and Alex is trying to sort us out some cricket tickets (sticky wicket... Boycott, come back). Looks like saturdays sold out but apparently she knows a mate of Gillespie's. Whether or not we end up going remains to be seen. Think OG original Guardy got here today too. It's like a bloody school reunion at the moment.

Might be orf to a show at the opera house in the next couple of days and shall be visiting my namesake's hotel tomoz in full tourist mode with camera and all. Haha, could end up being my own version of a Gorman mission this trip.

Anyways, I'm off to... errrr... sign off. See you all laters.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeew

Haha, sorry. I've picked up an annoying habit of shouting that anywhere and everywhere I am. I'll have to stem it though or I might get laced by someone. Highly unlikely though as all the folk over here are too nice. Suppose I'd better get on with telling you whaat I've been up to for the past few days. Okay then.

Seal Rocks

Is about three hours north of Sydney and that's where the surf school was. There were nine of us on the trip, all a good laugh. The place we stayed at was...

Bugger that, I can't be bothered to describe it too much. It was good. That's all you need to know. Pictures will be ensuing but not just yet (for some reason none of the comps in here have cd drives.... useless) So surf school was 2 days long. It's just like riding a bike. No probs at all getting back into it, apart from the fact that I am weak. My arms stopped working half way through the first days and I'm now in agony. Chucked my back out too but that's all the fun of the fair. Industrial scale mozzies have had their Ollcake and eaten too.

Got back

On Friday evening and arranged to go out for a beer with one of the lads from the surfing trip. I also got in touh with an old school mate (Alex Stiff) who I haven't seen for 6 years. So I got to the bar half expecting to be stood up as I was a bit late and no one was there yet. So I asked a group if I could nick one of their chairs. They gave me one then came over and told me to join them whilst waiting for my mates to turn up. How ridiculously nice of them. Anyway, Eddy ad Alex rocked up eventually. Had a class night with them two and only got in in the wee hours this morning. Bloody knackered (and still sore) today so I reckon I might have to go sit in the spa for a while. Mark's (Scottish lad in the flat) birthday is on Monday so its another night out tonight. Phew, I'll be half dead tomorrow. Quiet week ahead though before Katy gets here. Oooh, and loads of cricket on to be watched religiously (if only it'd stop pissing it down! Yes that's right, I'm moaning about the weather again but honestly, a thunder storm every gray day? What's going on?)

So the pictures will be up soon of me goofing about on a surf board... betcha can't wait hey?

Made it

Indeed I have. I'm now in (not so ) sunny Sydney. I've met up with Glanners and I'm kipping at his place for the time being. Good news for andy is that he might have a job starting on the 11th so if he does get that I'll leg it and probably go find Katy and Fi. Hostel is booked for the 20th to the 29th (crimble) and I think KAty's booked us in to a place in Coogee for New year (well done that lass).

My bag arrived today having been left in Singapore (muppets). Andy got woken up at half 6 this morning by the courier as I'd given them his phone number. Haha! And the kindly gent even went downstairs and picked it up for me. Int that good of him.

Jet lag has taken on a whole new meaning. My body clock's absolutely ruined but I guess it'll be alright soon enough.

oooh it's cold and it's dark most of the time and it's altogether not the best time of year to be in England. Hmm, how to solve this problem? I know, I'll leg it to Australia. Yes that's right folks, I can't stand another British winter and why should I when an Australian summer is only on the other side of the world?

So tomorrow I fly to Oz. Marvellous. I must apologise to those of you that know me if I've been a little rubbish (well totally rubbish actually) at getting to see everyone before I go to say proper goodbyes. I know it's a terrible excuse but I have been really really busy sorting out affairs before I leave.

As for the blog, well I suppose it will morph back into the travel journal thingy of old. Many of you may wish to unsubscribe as tales of sun sea and sand may well make your winter here less bearable than it would've been. Be happy for me though. It's not all roses anyway, the flight's really long! I'll blog next when in Sydney. Ciao for now!